A dense mass of thunderstorms in the southern Gulf of Mexico appears more and more likely to develop into a tropical system over the weekend, and experts say it's hard to predict what it might do next.

"There won't be a lot of time for it to become strong," Masters said. "Even if all the conditions were right and it took a turn toward Florida, I would be really surprised if this were a hurricane by the time it's crossing the peninsula."

The Tampa Bay area has a 70 percent chance of rain today and about a 60 percent chance into the weekend, according to Bay News 9. Forecasters predict the downpours will come in waves.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Chris became the season's first hurricane, but was downgraded later Thursday to a tropical storm. Chris was moving northeast at 20 mph and is no threat to land.

Tampa Bay residents should not be surprised by all the early-season activity, said Bay News 9 chief meteorologist Mike Clay.

It's not unusual for June storms to form in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea, he said. And the area has already had a close call.

"Beryl came very close to hitting us," Clay said. "We shouldn't ever be in any type of situation where people wait till the last minute to prepare."